tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57280431316647726192024-03-18T21:33:32.764-07:00meg + andymeg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-24794975497772285002013-10-14T13:06:00.003-07:002013-10-14T13:06:53.422-07:00beautiful pumpkin carving day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i was getting sick of seeing easter pictures on my blog...so in the spirit of randomness, here are a few pictures straight out of our camera from a perfectly lovely fall day at nana and papa's house carving pumpkins they grew themselves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XQ4AJBurYA5-3IAzbTkRHo8gwJZ2Fe-_96ls_upiCBwjtLzCW2V8qUlS2plfwS5fANMtQ-kYBpTxCoPwS5gygVbWyXdCR6AyccU0Li93ZrnoE47roP_AKtRN1fzGzXEqUIWPaGzauM4/s1600/IMG_3759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XQ4AJBurYA5-3IAzbTkRHo8gwJZ2Fe-_96ls_upiCBwjtLzCW2V8qUlS2plfwS5fANMtQ-kYBpTxCoPwS5gygVbWyXdCR6AyccU0Li93ZrnoE47roP_AKtRN1fzGzXEqUIWPaGzauM4/s640/IMG_3759.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9x6qLfJOx7hSzjahI6B0RrtTR5aJBni5OydrqBrzZf9EIqY6IyDkN7YqeRreVhhuSuWAwZkFv8-0IvkHlo9ToMAka5EqAQL44RWFPBlLGaPKHVAnLXPsaLywSTXJNLWvusmoBsiAOtM/s1600/IMG_3727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9x6qLfJOx7hSzjahI6B0RrtTR5aJBni5OydrqBrzZf9EIqY6IyDkN7YqeRreVhhuSuWAwZkFv8-0IvkHlo9ToMAka5EqAQL44RWFPBlLGaPKHVAnLXPsaLywSTXJNLWvusmoBsiAOtM/s640/IMG_3727.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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wow, madeline was a real goof ball this day.<br />
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our beautiful sophie is the hardest one in the family to photograph. she can't master the fake smile like her sister and brothers can. so these pictures we got of her laughing are quite the catch. :)<br />
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ben was a good supervisor.<br />
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and a few of our crazy cutie pie...<br />
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well, there you go...and unless i get a sudden burst of inspiration and time, i probably won't post again until i get tired of seeing these pictures over and over. :)<br />
thanks for visiting!meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-16865292555275892842013-04-06T14:00:00.002-07:002013-04-06T14:00:56.593-07:00easters 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
we started out the morning by ringing bells, taking jesus out of the tomb and eating breakfast together/</div>
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we loved going through <a href="http://partofthemain.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/easter-readings-starting-tomorrow/">betsy's easter reading for young children</a> this year. they are short and sweet and have meaningful activities to go with them. :)</div>
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the kiddos each got a special book just for them and a few little treats.<br />
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i left our newly planted tomb out in the snow for several days...but the message is the same, even without grass: Jesus is ALIVE! </div>
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after church we had lunch and an egg hunt at nana and papa cary's house.</div>
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madeline loved wearing her flower girl dress again from auntie bethany's wedding<br />
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sweet, adorable sophie girl<br />
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daddy made will work for his eggs this year.<br />
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ben loves his bow-ties and obviously they were made especially for his cute cheesy self. </div>
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cute boys<br />
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my mommy and i<br />
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more easter sweetness at grandma and grandpa's house<br />
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happy easter!<br />
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-38021002334429330952013-03-21T22:04:00.002-07:002013-03-21T22:34:10.299-07:00ballerina/pirate birthday party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
these two turned 5 this month. each year that passes i am more in awe and (by God's grace!) more in touch with how vastly unique and precious these girls are. so proud and so blessed to be there momma. </div>
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this year they had their first friend party...i wasn't sure how it would mesh since the requested themes were ballerina and pirate...but it ended up working out great. i'm learning that embracing their unique differences is much easier than stressing about them. and we all had a super time. so much fun. they kept saying in the days leading up to their party, "our friends get to say, 'i'm going to a ballerina party and if i get bored of that i'll go to a pirate party!' " :)</div>
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these were the invites- ballerina on one side, pirate sewed onto the other. :) </div>
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side note: i finally made the girls their own dolls even though i was pretty sure sophie's would live her life on the shelf... but to my surprise they both LOVED them- sophie probably even more than madeline. mini- sophie goes nearly everywhere with her and is always tucked in bed with her at night. and madeline thinks its pretty great that her dollie has pink hair since she always draws herself with pink or purple hair. so sweet and such a gift to me that they are treasured. :)</div>
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2-tone pretty pink four layer cake inspired by my sissy for the lovely and oh-so-sweet ballerina</div>
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my beautiful pirate and her ship cake. </div>
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all credit for the cake goes completely to handyandy...without whom there would certainly not have been a bow spirit(??) and rudder among many other things. this cake was her favorite part of the party. for good reason. :)</div>
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"dress the ballerina" game:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k_fB-Ph1XnlrRKVfvAbpBAIRTI2YMTZgzB7iPbZjlVSYqq_eKo3Mi_t8LR2DarqZy-iXsauFksLXz7d0Wug1hYTLJOG68YnUWheCeQO1xgCmJwEkpMvqeaGBxAT4QePR6Qo0GUnAAGk/s1600/girls5th-pincollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k_fB-Ph1XnlrRKVfvAbpBAIRTI2YMTZgzB7iPbZjlVSYqq_eKo3Mi_t8LR2DarqZy-iXsauFksLXz7d0Wug1hYTLJOG68YnUWheCeQO1xgCmJwEkpMvqeaGBxAT4QePR6Qo0GUnAAGk/s640/girls5th-pincollage.jpg" width="606" /></a></div>
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pirate treasure hunt:<br />
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very blessed with festive friends :)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiQxqbyZXf4nl-2iw8_PMS10WeDUG8yqTcCu-_HeQTwmzYOjswRAex8Zyl-KIR8vUwK4bhPWua8NLUXuDsY0QlVRAMFlH_HDpGjvLupjh4btZCZHU1_i8yqALOxC9e_HNT30FUYTO7rg/s1600/girls5th-friend+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiQxqbyZXf4nl-2iw8_PMS10WeDUG8yqTcCu-_HeQTwmzYOjswRAex8Zyl-KIR8vUwK4bhPWua8NLUXuDsY0QlVRAMFlH_HDpGjvLupjh4btZCZHU1_i8yqALOxC9e_HNT30FUYTO7rg/s640/girls5th-friend+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Happy 5th Birthday sweet girls!</div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-44478349718790950632013-02-20T21:34:00.001-08:002013-02-20T22:40:28.868-08:00love is hard...a valentine recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
i love valentine's day. i love how it transforms the thought of february into all things sweet and happy. </div>
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i love how easy it is to make things festive and fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKtECBETQZ9TrDJWSOkQXPLvy3SFwlfQoxMzmK0d_5H_hqk4LdeS8jDO0Q_YTgktjkaBViUrXPmDribqoMDrJDIXNeNKMYApkiKQvrlvecerqsKpYMzFF6o1tFBr-s14pCYXZ5mqyJL4/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKtECBETQZ9TrDJWSOkQXPLvy3SFwlfQoxMzmK0d_5H_hqk4LdeS8jDO0Q_YTgktjkaBViUrXPmDribqoMDrJDIXNeNKMYApkiKQvrlvecerqsKpYMzFF6o1tFBr-s14pCYXZ5mqyJL4/s400/IMG_1306.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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things as simple as a garland of paper hearts</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqhoxv69DDLVKMBfC0tKcPRw97n_UolERcwgy5xg7f8hkOIoGZvVCcR9yQXNqxrJMHTB9e7ZOwbDdeqUNro3Bor14KAkh2GtNxoaQf0NThYgXiBvAJ4JTAJA1_S5HUpAvQ7Zi9AhB0dw/s1600/IMG_2348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqhoxv69DDLVKMBfC0tKcPRw97n_UolERcwgy5xg7f8hkOIoGZvVCcR9yQXNqxrJMHTB9e7ZOwbDdeqUNro3Bor14KAkh2GtNxoaQf0NThYgXiBvAJ4JTAJA1_S5HUpAvQ7Zi9AhB0dw/s640/IMG_2348.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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and these plastic heart plates from walmart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqBk-fuRIqSJs0yZ0_wrjC4qMJBSyFpG1w_WL9RTa7997wk_iSppoec2p2AiYOeeLxTj9rnx0GwgurTGmKAHwN7ZWeJQ0Ax0q4UOR4LATLNASa_PaKDRoDc6cS_ue1-2ymF7-1-i66fw/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqBk-fuRIqSJs0yZ0_wrjC4qMJBSyFpG1w_WL9RTa7997wk_iSppoec2p2AiYOeeLxTj9rnx0GwgurTGmKAHwN7ZWeJQ0Ax0q4UOR4LATLNASa_PaKDRoDc6cS_ue1-2ymF7-1-i66fw/s640/IMG_2540.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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little boys who insist on wearing bow ties with their heart throb tshirt also help. </div>
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oh and pink milk and sprinkles on cinnamon rolls help too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlAlDT5Zhrof8s0w1HRuufzM_gsxfFGtd45gSOga4ETpAjYWItopGBo7XW0ZT9lJem-HZmH5DhDeiZwagg0aM9y2Q3os0mrQUcKl5EUkourf_u66sgGkB9HACs6eohg57idF1fCuG-Y0/s1600/IMG_2474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlAlDT5Zhrof8s0w1HRuufzM_gsxfFGtd45gSOga4ETpAjYWItopGBo7XW0ZT9lJem-HZmH5DhDeiZwagg0aM9y2Q3os0mrQUcKl5EUkourf_u66sgGkB9HACs6eohg57idF1fCuG-Y0/s640/IMG_2474.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
but i tell ya what...the decorations and the sugar are the easy part...<br />
the daily loving of little sinners and being lovable myself is where it gets dicey. big time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrfWv-cbAKu0dNa5IdF24V6xx3PZImPVESSYl5rVmdmEIFfBagXHRVOSi3SU-2U-vtaI2M44o0ChInnYghydndQNZ7Jxuj7JivNDXnuu4AyKd2zgMYbPGaMaS155dLKW4Q8EQjfocYQU/s1600/IMG_2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrfWv-cbAKu0dNa5IdF24V6xx3PZImPVESSYl5rVmdmEIFfBagXHRVOSi3SU-2U-vtaI2M44o0ChInnYghydndQNZ7Jxuj7JivNDXnuu4AyKd2zgMYbPGaMaS155dLKW4Q8EQjfocYQU/s640/IMG_2495.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
even sugar cookies can't help make that easier... (that little chubby hand in the corner helps a tad.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56MqwCe-CmPRx7qJvWCHb9mvrGRw0gJiMs9AlBT_CvWIkWfO7qgAg4KUFEXCcFju8SfYH332jbNUhWF0RkncL20xgYOTcx-UBknbP6CmMZvBlOvRTXI7gRhhmZdW9-300kjHbl2klYB4/s1600/IMG_2487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56MqwCe-CmPRx7qJvWCHb9mvrGRw0gJiMs9AlBT_CvWIkWfO7qgAg4KUFEXCcFju8SfYH332jbNUhWF0RkncL20xgYOTcx-UBknbP6CmMZvBlOvRTXI7gRhhmZdW9-300kjHbl2klYB4/s640/IMG_2487.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://megandandymade.blogspot.com/2012/02/notes-of-love-for-month-valentines.html">last year i </a>bought these little mailboxes from target and committed to writing some kind of love note to each of the kids everyday from february 1st to the 14th. and this is hard. </div>
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because at the end of the day when i'm trying to write specific, thoughtful, loving notes its hard not to dwell on all of their shortcomings, disobedience, selfishness, and ugly hearts.</div>
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it's much easier to remember the whining and grabbing and yelling and pouting...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfxLQpZrayx9priZC-uEtWTFxKHyTJt5mLE1B8tlY8Hxn2l2_EKLLu9cSjQ6dNmXWA46EM3l8U6a0QNtik62haWliy2ZiZCmedoa9zs3PVqx81-hcLSJ2cQCF-YgUgyw9oHtdKsTvLJc/s1600/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfxLQpZrayx9priZC-uEtWTFxKHyTJt5mLE1B8tlY8Hxn2l2_EKLLu9cSjQ6dNmXWA46EM3l8U6a0QNtik62haWliy2ZiZCmedoa9zs3PVqx81-hcLSJ2cQCF-YgUgyw9oHtdKsTvLJc/s640/IMG_2470.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div>
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on valentine's day we had a pretty darn rough morning...we were supposed to go to my mom's house for a little party at lunchtime but as we were trying to leave the house i {shamefully} kinda lost it on them. i don't remember much of my lecture except these words, "guys, it is HARD for mommy to love you sometimes!" i remember getting some surprised looks from my little darlings as it was obvious this was a concept their brains had never considered before. i felt pretty righteous in my rant. reminding them of all the work and sweet things i had done to make this month and day special and i how i could use just a little help, a little effort to love each other enough to get us out the door without more drama ...blah, blah, blah.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_T_iq25YVLLbawBM4m7TZUWuBVQaHmdTjOGY0LfY1HrbV6XsBBuFKnXC8T28NJCD_9E5_b1dV9dlNU5zcqFLzSNhcFPAC6l8EGO-x4Fk2jPfy1WXU2CDNE46e78h65qVEyl58LFaprY/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_T_iq25YVLLbawBM4m7TZUWuBVQaHmdTjOGY0LfY1HrbV6XsBBuFKnXC8T28NJCD_9E5_b1dV9dlNU5zcqFLzSNhcFPAC6l8EGO-x4Fk2jPfy1WXU2CDNE46e78h65qVEyl58LFaprY/s640/IMG_2453.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
it wasn't until we were around the table at my mom's house and my mom mentioned how much she loved valentines day that Will piped in, "i love valentines day too. especially when mom yells at us." It was then that i saw the mirror go up.<br />
while what i had <strike>yelled </strike>said was true, it wasn't said in love, it wasn't said in humility or grace or patience. i was telling them what i needed to make my life at that moment easier.<br />
i wanted something in return for the sweet mama that i had been. :S<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56MqwCe-CmPRx7qJvWCHb9mvrGRw0gJiMs9AlBT_CvWIkWfO7qgAg4KUFEXCcFju8SfYH332jbNUhWF0RkncL20xgYOTcx-UBknbP6CmMZvBlOvRTXI7gRhhmZdW9-300kjHbl2klYB4/s1600/IMG_2487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56MqwCe-CmPRx7qJvWCHb9mvrGRw0gJiMs9AlBT_CvWIkWfO7qgAg4KUFEXCcFju8SfYH332jbNUhWF0RkncL20xgYOTcx-UBknbP6CmMZvBlOvRTXI7gRhhmZdW9-300kjHbl2klYB4/s640/IMG_2487.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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thankfully Will forgave me and i was grateful for the opportunity to show him my need for the gospel but sheesh, its hard and humbling.</div>
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today i read <a href="http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/2013/02/mom-heart.htmlm">this short post from emily anderson</a> and there were several little nuggets of mothering truth that were good to be reminded of, but these two below really stuck out to me. i pray God will change my heart and fill me so full with his love that it bubbles over to the children he gave me to raise for His glory and my good.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">your heart is what your children will draw from. and what you're like in your home is a mirror into your heart</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">for our kids to believe in god's love, they have to be loved well by us.</span></div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-85541097864494325722013-02-20T20:27:00.000-08:002013-02-20T20:27:06.192-08:00we've got a heart throb on our hands...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
and a little ham too.</div>
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grandma gave this shirt to him and he adores it. </div>
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on valentine's day he found this bow tie and insisted on adding it to the ensemble.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfruu2ug5SLLtHEzTeCA6lvzHdE0JSdchHLRO8hMbpSMwEDvi9f5_3h4CchQOvA9YlKilNJOh_9UPhpCFpNHUsuoaDTtBMiwJpz0_iC-V4VROLSkr1t47-FAPigOGnYAuQ1LDEMeaxZ4/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfruu2ug5SLLtHEzTeCA6lvzHdE0JSdchHLRO8hMbpSMwEDvi9f5_3h4CchQOvA9YlKilNJOh_9UPhpCFpNHUsuoaDTtBMiwJpz0_iC-V4VROLSkr1t47-FAPigOGnYAuQ1LDEMeaxZ4/s640/IMG_1362.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
you melt our hearts benny boy. :)<br />
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meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-27479789497157016472013-02-01T06:43:00.000-08:002013-02-01T06:43:28.840-08:00handyandy had a birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
january is full to the brim with birthdays on handyandy's side of the family (5 to be exact!) and right in the middle is my favorite guy's. all the cake and celebrations makes this otherwise dreary month quite lovely and fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQXRJtSsD24gJasqLVjq9Dy3Bfjabv-n752tkx_BRL8aZ43kDMC5vJaQ5vYCfHOg3MvXk-cw6h8ukZKg3kKMZ-PiIspCKi7552PPbhLf8KL8-nPwRutJ3qEw11uFXRYM0z0LEubKQhc4/s1600/IMG_2088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQXRJtSsD24gJasqLVjq9Dy3Bfjabv-n752tkx_BRL8aZ43kDMC5vJaQ5vYCfHOg3MvXk-cw6h8ukZKg3kKMZ-PiIspCKi7552PPbhLf8KL8-nPwRutJ3qEw11uFXRYM0z0LEubKQhc4/s640/IMG_2088.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
but lets just take a moment to appreciate what a unique guy this handyandy is. all these pics from my phone were taken in the last few weeks and are a nice sampling of his multi-faceted personality. please enjoy. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAbZ8a9nL2TVz0SGyQv9X2sy7gggM3oXoTRgyz6dIqcVFnW3N-fj8ye5xq-FGS4b5_-Ij59ri3o7hWo2xjzTGIJbGzA9PSCYlOxrLhlWlxn3HvzTW_Yg-_I7nQUN0iqbLg5VWoZFS388/s1600/IMG_1734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAbZ8a9nL2TVz0SGyQv9X2sy7gggM3oXoTRgyz6dIqcVFnW3N-fj8ye5xq-FGS4b5_-Ij59ri3o7hWo2xjzTGIJbGzA9PSCYlOxrLhlWlxn3HvzTW_Yg-_I7nQUN0iqbLg5VWoZFS388/s640/IMG_1734.JPG" width="640" /></a> obviously an adept ballet teacher/student?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcS5UD8L4_aI0ZtIGdbbcj6KXgicifq5Pp-uNxuDV5fbCiMbQ2M0oPbUXTXwlr2LqNmix0djZJAXSnENkabMQ6Adm5FgU36nnubTnumohgdSehrTLZpHpeS88sXr677KEyXL1SBzpF4yA/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcS5UD8L4_aI0ZtIGdbbcj6KXgicifq5Pp-uNxuDV5fbCiMbQ2M0oPbUXTXwlr2LqNmix0djZJAXSnENkabMQ6Adm5FgU36nnubTnumohgdSehrTLZpHpeS88sXr677KEyXL1SBzpF4yA/s640/IMG_2053.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
our very own in-house cobbler, working on his first pair of hand-sewn leather moccasins.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUePVqB7BI7XypIoOV4ABVf4hHyU3OYomDXFa2ryMNWO3T2QXUIvzSyajBaXQhqb3hRug0f2Z-Oi4gc5k-Hzyd-DGdXWN2t2VQJCCca8Jl6PB7b4p-x2gt5kZN4aBJpzIDLFk0M2SPgA/s1600/IMG_2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUePVqB7BI7XypIoOV4ABVf4hHyU3OYomDXFa2ryMNWO3T2QXUIvzSyajBaXQhqb3hRug0f2Z-Oi4gc5k-Hzyd-DGdXWN2t2VQJCCca8Jl6PB7b4p-x2gt5kZN4aBJpzIDLFk0M2SPgA/s640/IMG_2155.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
also quite the {hippy} crafter/artist.<br />
here's he's touching up a few spots on his hand screen-printed giant growth rulers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0ODFRBC_sE0hu7IRyvke2xJ-OPZCLRzVtQHaaZzUaEAh2ZHzZ85wz2fg_Kia2CAcbNTdTO25LIKyx3KGhGhJP6WJTTPv5eW3hNG9ZVhPnhAVsR3SK-mkePxSV3rhiY7Gk30rQEVJTq0/s1600/IMG_2039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0ODFRBC_sE0hu7IRyvke2xJ-OPZCLRzVtQHaaZzUaEAh2ZHzZ85wz2fg_Kia2CAcbNTdTO25LIKyx3KGhGhJP6WJTTPv5eW3hNG9ZVhPnhAVsR3SK-mkePxSV3rhiY7Gk30rQEVJTq0/s640/IMG_2039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
awesome fort-builder...super celebrity daddy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DvkVmjB3VsECBv7vmKopUwQWkMNBohkBxscVvDCicSNzwR5qE7sNMh5uPsnt6jpuFffoefhP-IJMIAH2Mh9AqJmcbnCE_BNhPnLeYc-7Rxvr3rkd1XPVsrwxF82Oela4wbD3IGb1Ytg/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DvkVmjB3VsECBv7vmKopUwQWkMNBohkBxscVvDCicSNzwR5qE7sNMh5uPsnt6jpuFffoefhP-IJMIAH2Mh9AqJmcbnCE_BNhPnLeYc-7Rxvr3rkd1XPVsrwxF82Oela4wbD3IGb1Ytg/s640/IMG_2217.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
loved to pieces by us all. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXe_GDKTdy48dj85oeklsx2NG6QW-1VarOLQhe4VGVj_nVx7CK4SlfBlJsK1LPOhrE6wPBf_73CjDdxL_du4vmzYbey4D-UvNwCLMKfFryDvNM60xOUCl2DzSEJb3xpoZ_z2u9V6o_RS8/s1600/IMG_2093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXe_GDKTdy48dj85oeklsx2NG6QW-1VarOLQhe4VGVj_nVx7CK4SlfBlJsK1LPOhrE6wPBf_73CjDdxL_du4vmzYbey4D-UvNwCLMKfFryDvNM60xOUCl2DzSEJb3xpoZ_z2u9V6o_RS8/s640/IMG_2093.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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and so very worth celebrating! happy (late) birthday! </div>
<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-73711827599481283672013-01-23T22:39:00.001-08:002013-01-24T07:38:18.210-08:00sick, sick, sick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
so...like everyone else in the country, we got the flu. and it was a doozy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23_vCpJmh9F4edWPZbxwkdaT4zYpcvPesp_cXPBEMTSt_HKupyRp8kMqdbmIIvClKZh3ebuhIO27MlEC_4S0fQ89iHqzmMi3U1QkNHmoyjg2kVH3-Js4svnZ0xLSkkAYcjH70kywB8dQ/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23_vCpJmh9F4edWPZbxwkdaT4zYpcvPesp_cXPBEMTSt_HKupyRp8kMqdbmIIvClKZh3ebuhIO27MlEC_4S0fQ89iHqzmMi3U1QkNHmoyjg2kVH3-Js4svnZ0xLSkkAYcjH70kywB8dQ/s640/IMG_1937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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it didn't really occur to me that it was "THE flu" when will came down with a fever the day after christmas. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiuJfpSO7VUut7-ldhAQC8k9k4dOJ1T9mK1DebLXbmM3CNRFyo7c2NBsjDHmTW6s8AByL4BT5D0jAlWshk3kCSDOsru4nRSLjfjXQIMgrR9NEmDIt5g6J5R-8Rr5UeoDevlLiKgm9XpI/s1600/IMG_1958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiuJfpSO7VUut7-ldhAQC8k9k4dOJ1T9mK1DebLXbmM3CNRFyo7c2NBsjDHmTW6s8AByL4BT5D0jAlWshk3kCSDOsru4nRSLjfjXQIMgrR9NEmDIt5g6J5R-8Rr5UeoDevlLiKgm9XpI/s640/IMG_1958.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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maybe i was in denial- we still had another celebration to attend and besides that my out-of-state sister and sister in law were in town and we had big plans.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvo6_tHUESt_MprcjViYRvkvqZ8Cjx2hIQJO77HYPJB9w1nAAxgUHI-hUhKmkswahtf87a1yAwPL6PwjqSl_JaKwLnh6r_rHduEyrdtdeJn4CU3suIoIL9LRmD1Q7fNAnghQFg6-sZEw/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvo6_tHUESt_MprcjViYRvkvqZ8Cjx2hIQJO77HYPJB9w1nAAxgUHI-hUhKmkswahtf87a1yAwPL6PwjqSl_JaKwLnh6r_rHduEyrdtdeJn4CU3suIoIL9LRmD1Q7fNAnghQFg6-sZEw/s640/IMG_1988.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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plans of long chats, girl days, shopping, pedicures, decorating, birthday celebrations, playdates with the cousins.....</div>
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all of which most definitely did not include horrendous coughs, fevers, chills, aches, exhaustion, stuffiness and over-all misery. (how's that for drama? ;)</div>
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it was a bummer. for everyone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh282L_lVYdS0g-fQsT8-cTTILRAmUsVKF0T8QtaUlvFgBSlx4DVzzryyjZFjfsKaoxNaIkO4GovJON9aPwj1oBqPjjZeBKA5y-C-NCcjvNmtiWHryXn6mCzm9uIpO67GjPD-DRVpwvTPc/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh282L_lVYdS0g-fQsT8-cTTILRAmUsVKF0T8QtaUlvFgBSlx4DVzzryyjZFjfsKaoxNaIkO4GovJON9aPwj1oBqPjjZeBKA5y-C-NCcjvNmtiWHryXn6mCzm9uIpO67GjPD-DRVpwvTPc/s640/IMG_1950.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
especially when we realized we had unknowingly infected lots of our family... including my sis and her kiddos and handyandy's family too. sad, sad.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizlNqAex-K00tA_oCUCNHMGgyxVHyVKsnHlY7Oi-u-NfwFulR3PrDK5Z47sSH4ANJYhh6eLWbsKWrE3IYBgPfRpTl2sPUWe7JARPOAmXD7Nn76acyUdaqYbjCFIj4MqouwRxc1-kTThE/s1600/IMG_1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizlNqAex-K00tA_oCUCNHMGgyxVHyVKsnHlY7Oi-u-NfwFulR3PrDK5Z47sSH4ANJYhh6eLWbsKWrE3IYBgPfRpTl2sPUWe7JARPOAmXD7Nn76acyUdaqYbjCFIj4MqouwRxc1-kTThE/s640/IMG_1197.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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but we did have lots of snuggles...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib87y388oVDGUGuTTGdCxFTFQz93dODCrvaqK2latgCy75bezlhDGisRdM_rX6tsLMf-SFidp6Q91VqYDjKDVfHcOIpu1nxOnYDf1aayCYc6JbnMbyX6Co-g4IoStWewjMfoFpECA6fx8/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib87y388oVDGUGuTTGdCxFTFQz93dODCrvaqK2latgCy75bezlhDGisRdM_rX6tsLMf-SFidp6Q91VqYDjKDVfHcOIpu1nxOnYDf1aayCYc6JbnMbyX6Co-g4IoStWewjMfoFpECA6fx8/s400/IMG_1971.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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and we even tried to rally a bit for a new years eve party of soup and sparkling cider...but it was kinda miserable.</div>
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except for will who, since he was the first to get it, was also the first to start feeling like himself again. :)<br />
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then, the day before my sis and her family were going to drive back home, they came to our house to spend their last night with us. <br />
this pic on the stairs pretty much sums up how much fun they all had being sick together. ha :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI7LOz9a2gc_3coQxXcnuFxQ1y7JCc9xzjXfWc_TnUve-zLwiHYA2JKLZnRUr01Zd_QCMnC3du_42Ww9ZPEDG-LfTZGGWRcyevC_sXBLtPmSeB8BMVkuALS8V4TgwGarbbWiOylALxoM/s1600/IMG_1225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI7LOz9a2gc_3coQxXcnuFxQ1y7JCc9xzjXfWc_TnUve-zLwiHYA2JKLZnRUr01Zd_QCMnC3du_42Ww9ZPEDG-LfTZGGWRcyevC_sXBLtPmSeB8BMVkuALS8V4TgwGarbbWiOylALxoM/s640/IMG_1225.jpg" width="426" /></a><br />
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nevertheless, it was wonderful to see them... and even though sister and i didn't get to enjoy our big plans, we did manage to make a run to the grocery store for old times sake.<br />
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and the kids had a lovely time on the couch being distracted from their coughs and runny noses with early morning cartoons.<br />
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and then we gave them big hugs after breakfast and said good-bye...with a box of kleenex handy.<br />
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then finally, several days into january, we started to gradually feel better! and we've been pumping the vitamins and green smoothies ever since. </div>
<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-63348694547982488662013-01-23T20:44:00.000-08:002013-01-23T20:44:19.238-08:00christmas 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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well, we're half way through january...as much as i'm overly ready to move out of december, we have some christmas pics to take care of. i was uncharacteristically negligent with my picture-taking this christmas...but it pretty much looked like last christmas. the kids are just taller. ;)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qMTW2bL7QBrql7sa0Xx_b1mncU-WqwgK-LSG0AD3k7Rss-Wxon4cq-jIVKeeWIuQj8SyQ-b4pxUhifU75sTwsUFJrybeePBKfZ6CCp7EnhbUA-UvuBu6pR5LsvDvElAyCWToE2Y5xSg/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qMTW2bL7QBrql7sa0Xx_b1mncU-WqwgK-LSG0AD3k7Rss-Wxon4cq-jIVKeeWIuQj8SyQ-b4pxUhifU75sTwsUFJrybeePBKfZ6CCp7EnhbUA-UvuBu6pR5LsvDvElAyCWToE2Y5xSg/s640/IMG_1117.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
the day after our little family christmas at home, we went to Nana's house because my one and only favorite sister and her beautiful family had just arrived from iowa.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEpBqnqiazbPy_tLGv1lVpNFCovXah0u2x6jHRJWJHGtEnrA225-Jl38dCcsnJsm9dsiF0wGdDyct4DGzvBPhU3IYWvgFaCEw8hGi2NtE9yWMrSZ4PCFhcGpTziGq98HjDNC-qUCRIB8/s1600/IMG_1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEpBqnqiazbPy_tLGv1lVpNFCovXah0u2x6jHRJWJHGtEnrA225-Jl38dCcsnJsm9dsiF0wGdDyct4DGzvBPhU3IYWvgFaCEw8hGi2NtE9yWMrSZ4PCFhcGpTziGq98HjDNC-qUCRIB8/s400/IMG_1911.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
and here is the one and only picture of me and my sissy from her 2 week visit here.<br />
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all the little cousins..smiling dutifully before opening presents.<br />
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story time with nana</div>
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christmas #2 with handy andy's wonderful family.<br />
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little madeline with one of her most favorite people in all the world- auntie bethany<br />
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and the next day we went to my dad's house for christmas #3. well, most of us. will came down with a fever the night before, so he and andrew stayed home. with all the craziness and chatting with family we rarely get to see, i completely forgot to get my camera out except for this one picture. :(<br />
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and that was christmas folks. the day after this pic was taken, we began our 2 week bout with the flu...pictures to come, don't you worry.<br />
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meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-31864036529312832402013-01-10T07:41:00.003-08:002013-01-10T07:41:32.993-08:00our little family christmas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
the saturday before christmas we had our little family celebration.</div>
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it started with a fancy cinnamon roll breakfast. :)<br />
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followed by a few presents.<br />
the kids picked names for secret santa with each other this year. it was such a great opportunity for them to take their minds off themselves for a bit and they really had a blast with it.<br />
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After presents and some playing we got dressed and headed outside to drop off little treats to our neighbors. It was especially sweet to be invited in by our 2 elderly couples on our street for a little chat in their homes.<br />
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In the evening we went on a christmas light hunt, followed with hot cocoa at Starbucks.<br />
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madeline with the starbucks bunny :)<br />
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such a sweet, low-key day with our little family.meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-16205704209728809722012-12-13T20:31:00.001-08:002012-12-13T20:58:44.936-08:00family pictures. check.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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my<a href="http://everyday-lovely.blogspot.com/"> sweet, talented sissy</a> took our family pictures last year. she found cool old buildings and chippy painted doors and took a lot of wonderful shots. but now she's in iowa...which meant we were on our own this year. :(<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5crLAvbSADqbYrYhcAoLLaYppo7qQt5mfNQrcpTgX2bFvUGZlI0QBVEvqylyRw2zTL84btN9KSDadGgujACREtkvpJaQ7SOn5LbYo7qhOWOQosIb5ioAXY9vOIptBUNH-nJkL9Gc-2Y/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5crLAvbSADqbYrYhcAoLLaYppo7qQt5mfNQrcpTgX2bFvUGZlI0QBVEvqylyRw2zTL84btN9KSDadGgujACREtkvpJaQ7SOn5LbYo7qhOWOQosIb5ioAXY9vOIptBUNH-nJkL9Gc-2Y/s640/IMG_0461.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
so on a whim, we went back to the sites from last year and thanks to our tripod and nana's entertainment behind the camera, we got some pictures.<br />
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after just a couple pics, this huge train came steaming and blowing by and stole everyone's attention. and gave ben the FRIGHT of his LIFE!<br />
he trembled uncontrollably for at least 10 min. and kept covering his ears and murmuring "choo choo, choo choo, bye bye...choo choo...bye bye." it was pathetic, poor boy. but i did get a lot of snuggles...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_PvjkEUjAqPCHBH9j7YNsSTNtQ08J-G9zyTqxZ5-qPXectMfgltCO2oWEQ-HgePyweZIcMKUyIXk067TeNCBj31N4IRiIr2U6qkdCoLYRU4evDBCbyAm4ygcidWVrDlApwuDjUNb-qc/s1600/IMG_0389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_PvjkEUjAqPCHBH9j7YNsSTNtQ08J-G9zyTqxZ5-qPXectMfgltCO2oWEQ-HgePyweZIcMKUyIXk067TeNCBj31N4IRiIr2U6qkdCoLYRU4evDBCbyAm4ygcidWVrDlApwuDjUNb-qc/s640/IMG_0389.jpg" width="426" /></a><br />
this one below is last years version....oh ben! be still my heart, i love you so much.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-l6DC_ir6R3fHgvtryrDZcGWqc46S35JF79hB_O2aiKYifVokvwQpGP21QOByhchLhJNyKk8_wZPHFILS-tn_UWinfHVG1jpQqQJkBU5JkNy1wATJ4Zb4x_njsiwROD-N73XnO9dqK8/s1600/DSC_1921p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-l6DC_ir6R3fHgvtryrDZcGWqc46S35JF79hB_O2aiKYifVokvwQpGP21QOByhchLhJNyKk8_wZPHFILS-tn_UWinfHVG1jpQqQJkBU5JkNy1wATJ4Zb4x_njsiwROD-N73XnO9dqK8/s640/DSC_1921p.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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2 of my 3 favorite guys...awww, that chubby little hand!<br />
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then we went over to this cool green wall...also one of sister's finds from last year</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNI7Hk_dR93a44AGHTTlrCmoStO4ziYapq-2010T19Y-Dq71X4o-cGNR3a21H355jJlp4uuWXZJvRNN8cAngo1WUfSXryF2ZifHgLQPE-AsFeKAwC24XqhEu6Z5wddyseiJrCbGOe2oo/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNI7Hk_dR93a44AGHTTlrCmoStO4ziYapq-2010T19Y-Dq71X4o-cGNR3a21H355jJlp4uuWXZJvRNN8cAngo1WUfSXryF2ZifHgLQPE-AsFeKAwC24XqhEu6Z5wddyseiJrCbGOe2oo/s640/IMG_0693.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
and one in the street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxUtqp1M5zqjWPMY5JuzRFTZpxbee65p7AeEGwENZWyu3GTrVMSs4YLR3mVwc_tOtGatLDa9_mWXQG6ogq6YPPpII_4WVQV7anQKzgyabb2N-Vx_1a2ZToytWk22PXYf_bo3yENN26bs/s1600/IMG_0867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxUtqp1M5zqjWPMY5JuzRFTZpxbee65p7AeEGwENZWyu3GTrVMSs4YLR3mVwc_tOtGatLDa9_mWXQG6ogq6YPPpII_4WVQV7anQKzgyabb2N-Vx_1a2ZToytWk22PXYf_bo3yENN26bs/s640/IMG_0867.jpg" width="426" /></a><br />
and here's last year on the same street. little people are getting taller..,<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgX0D2Bf559OC4FXHmRKp29kmr-Mb3ePpIwwYToxIacMfyyhtQ30z8-Ock2WhQN5HYsSwD-CizNFoxEamEThVKgv57DGDu6LMkji6SiCNVnDDlS5FwLZrt08yAZ8jJijih0OUd0p9ubw/s1600/DSC_1851p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgX0D2Bf559OC4FXHmRKp29kmr-Mb3ePpIwwYToxIacMfyyhtQ30z8-Ock2WhQN5HYsSwD-CizNFoxEamEThVKgv57DGDu6LMkji6SiCNVnDDlS5FwLZrt08yAZ8jJijih0OUd0p9ubw/s640/DSC_1851p.jpg" width="512" /></a><br />
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and then we ran out of posed smiles and nice light so decided to let the<span id="goog_473688258"></span><span id="goog_473688259"></span> crazy came out.<br />
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or rather it would seem, the parents needed to let <i>their </i>crazy out. :)<br />
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will was definitely keeping his crazy contained...<br />
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ta-da! ;)<br />
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the end.meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-27914570515838404772012-12-13T07:05:00.000-08:002012-12-13T07:05:41.027-08:00thanksgiving..better late than never<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i just can't post christmasy pictures until i get this important holiday documented. so here it is. thanksgiving was lovely and full of family and fabulous food.<br />
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my lovely mama and the beautiful spread</div>
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yum<br />
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sickie benny...cute as ever.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0djQVH75IODu65P-Wtn8e0OdTw3hRyOsfLD2UiztFc1Dm5u3ecHMQyJAMcQHtWJ-zXRmSvEhfQZrdvVLW6FLeuCXAL5BrUtUX6TdSWa-eQHOuVolTb644ipIpIvMPGfS9cDBb0MMTHbY/s1600/IMG_0433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0djQVH75IODu65P-Wtn8e0OdTw3hRyOsfLD2UiztFc1Dm5u3ecHMQyJAMcQHtWJ-zXRmSvEhfQZrdvVLW6FLeuCXAL5BrUtUX6TdSWa-eQHOuVolTb644ipIpIvMPGfS9cDBb0MMTHbY/s640/IMG_0433.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
and then the day after, as per tradition, we cut down our tree. now on to christmas!meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-44115767399257777052012-11-30T13:59:00.002-08:002012-11-30T13:59:22.626-08:00Indie Arts Winter Market this Saturday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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hey friends! just thought i'd let you know that tomorrow (saturday december 1st!)</div>
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is the annual craft show right here in our own little town.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuFiXUyu1pIENdO-BsJPBHurGxDsJ21OScSjzONePVsQIcwmVMWO5sCsSb84u5NB7wghPnKFjI9mCiCAlSGa9lue4xs7nzfIjdrQPH6G77PXy77CFAZQ99ox_Nl6r2VceVv2QdUVHTY0/s1600/indie+2012+copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuFiXUyu1pIENdO-BsJPBHurGxDsJ21OScSjzONePVsQIcwmVMWO5sCsSb84u5NB7wghPnKFjI9mCiCAlSGa9lue4xs7nzfIjdrQPH6G77PXy77CFAZQ99ox_Nl6r2VceVv2QdUVHTY0/s640/indie+2012+copy.jpeg" width="414" /></a></div>
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if you live around these parts, you should come check it out! there's always a great vibe and lots of indie art and handmade goodness.</div>
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handy andy and i will have a booth again this year. we have a lot of new items in addition to the regulars...like tooth fairy pillows! (pocket is on the back)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ajE4QUQbQAfwQV0S_ELY_zJgALh8i5CLDF6pHFOZC07dQ9Cha8MKPognVEDkmSXGpbPijR9xXTwIU0ymdvfpsKiFU29VKPq2Tj61PDjoTC9ITdLZe8EHs_iCMc8rw-1fA3xKd9WqK_M/s1600/IMG_1611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ajE4QUQbQAfwQV0S_ELY_zJgALh8i5CLDF6pHFOZC07dQ9Cha8MKPognVEDkmSXGpbPijR9xXTwIU0ymdvfpsKiFU29VKPq2Tj61PDjoTC9ITdLZe8EHs_iCMc8rw-1fA3xKd9WqK_M/s640/IMG_1611.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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more bunting and chalkboards!<br />
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and the best of all, our new item this year is the giant ruler growth chart. these were hand screen-printed by the one and only handyandy and look quite fabulous if i do say so. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5rRquTPdhyphenhyphenUe2DFQCa4RRIVVwVtVOOTiZNatxO20ijaDADJloKDG4qJxEenboQ0B_vL8bMpGDBjWXnlBQRVnFhSzaPAzQbg40GTcJyRJbZIsf9YHjWUkGnCZIBTprFzOuVOCl1Ng0h8/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5rRquTPdhyphenhyphenUe2DFQCa4RRIVVwVtVOOTiZNatxO20ijaDADJloKDG4qJxEenboQ0B_vL8bMpGDBjWXnlBQRVnFhSzaPAzQbg40GTcJyRJbZIsf9YHjWUkGnCZIBTprFzOuVOCl1Ng0h8/s640/IMG_1615.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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our kids are shipped off to grandparent's house for the night so we can finish up last minute details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BW2uKRB9tz7EVt9EhWWm3zX59d6jEkJb7gEwrPk-ZH1EfCvIHI0ipj2XUW-4b7Ne3bTi8qXzgrBUEEex4DbIp7BGE5l_gpq3TYS0pm9b60K2fBBS5d92z-kWDK1CqS9JEaa-LV8_78s/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BW2uKRB9tz7EVt9EhWWm3zX59d6jEkJb7gEwrPk-ZH1EfCvIHI0ipj2XUW-4b7Ne3bTi8qXzgrBUEEex4DbIp7BGE5l_gpq3TYS0pm9b60K2fBBS5d92z-kWDK1CqS9JEaa-LV8_78s/s640/IMG_1619.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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looking forward to a fun fun day tomorrow with this guy. :)</div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-41270878767712842242012-11-07T19:47:00.003-08:002012-11-07T19:47:53.078-08:00we voted on tuesday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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thankfully the lines weren't too long...especially since sophie was a little sickie poo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzoKTmjnJm94FC6XNCivXtRRTiten-sK5tfA9DRzATxSiXsosLyhsR4ONndoHM561JVEQPa4T5W3f8Lt810EUsDGJ5yhrYEiUPNOaTT_T1lhREksA7Tkux-h0xMJkqTp6KFpNW-wJnYM/s1600/IMG_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzoKTmjnJm94FC6XNCivXtRRTiten-sK5tfA9DRzATxSiXsosLyhsR4ONndoHM561JVEQPa4T5W3f8Lt810EUsDGJ5yhrYEiUPNOaTT_T1lhREksA7Tkux-h0xMJkqTp6KFpNW-wJnYM/s640/IMG_0308.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
we got a nice instructional talk from the cute election judge, signed our ballots then we each filed into the voting booth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxY_eewExNOXZVH6vpAimk7MS-eaq0Mf9Tr2iJvRfrpC0vqowB4orQfEUjdoJv_mFos5VcraseNNMenVxjm5puoq0hpuRTP1Cub27Q8XQHfVSmLZdYEKfw4BLnKHPwnKOheevi5jncvs/s1600/IMG_0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxY_eewExNOXZVH6vpAimk7MS-eaq0Mf9Tr2iJvRfrpC0vqowB4orQfEUjdoJv_mFos5VcraseNNMenVxjm5puoq0hpuRTP1Cub27Q8XQHfVSmLZdYEKfw4BLnKHPwnKOheevi5jncvs/s640/IMG_0315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
we, of course, took it quite seriously...i even got a glare from one voter for breaching the booth's privacy walls to snap a quick picture...(where's a scrutineer when you need one?!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzk5CXY5qwcLb3iLmOTGGAXY2_vW8lzacrm9DjBJDlmqDzBOT9wPpxdK6YdCbiKfHn1fJM61ouzwAVmqcNo1jXch-S9jL41F3hHPf9S_kI3PmZ1s04k6n6Yo8csklfZ2hWdNmX4fd8_0/s1600/voting2collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzk5CXY5qwcLb3iLmOTGGAXY2_vW8lzacrm9DjBJDlmqDzBOT9wPpxdK6YdCbiKfHn1fJM61ouzwAVmqcNo1jXch-S9jL41F3hHPf9S_kI3PmZ1s04k6n6Yo8csklfZ2hWdNmX4fd8_0/s640/voting2collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
there was a good bit of deliberation within these walls...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUO_kJ6WtgG-Kz3wbdKZXCpwJnRys_8VGb_pBWFtCiyXIOI50OPPvB9P4bLNvrDeoTttIH6M0PwDE8rkcBrSULj7GH-QdhvSpw1Fq7Ccs4-HxeAOzuGoqEtb3dtxLDjbH2xu2DEiKrdI/s1600/voting1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUO_kJ6WtgG-Kz3wbdKZXCpwJnRys_8VGb_pBWFtCiyXIOI50OPPvB9P4bLNvrDeoTttIH6M0PwDE8rkcBrSULj7GH-QdhvSpw1Fq7Ccs4-HxeAOzuGoqEtb3dtxLDjbH2xu2DEiKrdI/s640/voting1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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then the ballots were placed into the ballot box and stickers were passed out.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdWCta8XE8b-7oIE85cwN3oJcuFoK1hzcBpeGu-V-paLhnxi069EmXLfHO7a0klRI812RpxxcyYsfNWZw_0tK5AIBNYPpsZb4K2ttiPudYS5itluBmNah75Xu3x2k6oraAfNHR02lKHY/s1600/voting3collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdWCta8XE8b-7oIE85cwN3oJcuFoK1hzcBpeGu-V-paLhnxi069EmXLfHO7a0klRI812RpxxcyYsfNWZw_0tK5AIBNYPpsZb4K2ttiPudYS5itluBmNah75Xu3x2k6oraAfNHR02lKHY/s640/voting3collage.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
i'll spare you from the final election results...but i will say, i think ben made the best choice with his write-in candidate. how could our country go wrong with mr. balloon in the oval office??<br />
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**p.s. a great big thank you goes to handy andy for his tireless efforts in making this voting experience a reality for the citizens of schmidtville. he constructed the booth, ballot box and ballots and procured the stickers. our thanks and love go out to you.meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-61411560800048739612012-11-01T20:50:00.000-07:002012-11-01T20:50:26.388-07:00super hero candy night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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our little super heroes dressed up yesterday. well, to be more accurate, we actually only had one "official" super hero and that was<i> </i>ben. will was a <i>ninja </i>[super hero on the side] as was his green sidekick, sophie. and madeline was [naturally] a <i>princess </i>super hero.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoYXC3phJ7vBoJnZHxeU57eUkrlFp3qoqbq4QjIyc7MLDvDjkRviGJGzFAsjoJGfkf2WfobGHTMBjYiYhp6dRxLFDakw4O-2haDVlc9T5vqme2xA0ga5PBy6W4VEoaDSeXAI8xifJccY/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoYXC3phJ7vBoJnZHxeU57eUkrlFp3qoqbq4QjIyc7MLDvDjkRviGJGzFAsjoJGfkf2WfobGHTMBjYiYhp6dRxLFDakw4O-2haDVlc9T5vqme2xA0ga5PBy6W4VEoaDSeXAI8xifJccY/s320/IMG_1373.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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here are a couple costume conversation snippets from the last week:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>will:</b> "if i can't be a ninja then can i just dress up like a kid who goes to school? i could wear what i'm wearing now [motions to his clothes which happened to still be pjs]...wellll, not <i>pajamas, </i>but regular clothes and i could carry around my math book."</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">madeline</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> upon seeing that i was sewing "sparkly" ribbon onto her cape: "mommy, i love you because you are nice. and i love you because sometimes you buy sparkly things for me." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">{i will be sharing this little tip to her husband-to-be one day}</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sophie</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: "am i scary in this mask? did i scare<i> you</i>??" </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-EIRWFS08KfdmgWqSWU1pxDsR4CMEZ734ICLca2-GvFRF8ja2mp3ptRP2y0POdBsFPtqX5_n0MrB6KA7fquJKcSbyEBHx4oCrwDBDlOW6Vr4AZK2I6ZDJW8Bu7eAcvMFQ2ejUhFZXvc/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-EIRWFS08KfdmgWqSWU1pxDsR4CMEZ734ICLca2-GvFRF8ja2mp3ptRP2y0POdBsFPtqX5_n0MrB6KA7fquJKcSbyEBHx4oCrwDBDlOW6Vr4AZK2I6ZDJW8Bu7eAcvMFQ2ejUhFZXvc/s640/IMG_0267.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
anyway, we had a great time trick or treating with a group of friends in the neighborhood i grew up in.<br />
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true story: we pulled up to our friends house where everyone was meeting and realized that<br />
1. i (the lizard blood girl) was wearing a short sleeved shirt and didn't grab a jacket<br />
2. i also didn't grab jackets for the other short-sleeved members of our family<br />
3. madeline was barefoot.<br />
now, if i was a type A person we would have had to drive back home...well, never mind, those people would have never forgotten these things...but either way, if we at least had a clean car we would have been out of luck. BUT we didn't have a clean car. we instead had one stock full of necessities. i found a jacket for me, will <i>and</i> sophie, a long-sleeve shirt for madeline AND a pair of shoes! moral of story for me: don't ever clean out your car<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas1CSqyP3iBzCtcq25I7kACQrZLT-iScnGeZ0XMWskuRkMnFnjXfxfjIU9cxi5tzwsFV6kGkzSV6SffQFvwbl2YIxqEuakV_Vabu72fw8whv_80rbc-tHxdDQ2QCeycEh3P8tDfRr8fk/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas1CSqyP3iBzCtcq25I7kACQrZLT-iScnGeZ0XMWskuRkMnFnjXfxfjIU9cxi5tzwsFV6kGkzSV6SffQFvwbl2YIxqEuakV_Vabu72fw8whv_80rbc-tHxdDQ2QCeycEh3P8tDfRr8fk/s640/IMG_1383.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
and this is what really topped it off for the evening. as we began trick or treating i realized that even though madeline forgot SHOES, she did remember to grab a stick of celery for the road. we love every bit of this "sparkly", spacey princess girl.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd1oScmYT3x2zmyHILnrvx0JgvV7BLGnVnylHo1h-aGF9ynNPJvpUm0nwlP5WTij7zboIt-QUwh-zXGsGYd3JB73ZRzHy0xopj_nUQ2Or2pNC0frtkuk5S-2gCbvo82sMSzOyNzWeeB0/s1600/IMG_0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd1oScmYT3x2zmyHILnrvx0JgvV7BLGnVnylHo1h-aGF9ynNPJvpUm0nwlP5WTij7zboIt-QUwh-zXGsGYd3JB73ZRzHy0xopj_nUQ2Or2pNC0frtkuk5S-2gCbvo82sMSzOyNzWeeB0/s640/IMG_0281.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
ben loved every minute of his cape, mask and legging-wearing night. loved. it.<br />
(and loved the candy even more)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MPtNZYjwJRy2Hho-2cXIZHbele85IDlH16DePMZWbe2S7QNZa0Gv2t1RaAHLS-g47A8Biu0wxatV7eE01X45AbZPKdVIOjzvVB0Rv1K0GafaMziGyzrHzNkchjCYPJ8viBGAmJYiIxU/s1600/IMG_1381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MPtNZYjwJRy2Hho-2cXIZHbele85IDlH16DePMZWbe2S7QNZa0Gv2t1RaAHLS-g47A8Biu0wxatV7eE01X45AbZPKdVIOjzvVB0Rv1K0GafaMziGyzrHzNkchjCYPJ8viBGAmJYiIxU/s640/IMG_1381.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
sophie loved it too. cutest green ninja/super hero ever.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrDhAsh19Cgm794Yrl5X3pkh-4jtDP7VWf16QcMVjg5b5Pg2UnyFOhVLYVEi25qrRpK3VBgB9Ovybb8AsLyDmr2eT-XghOwmqMs_gkjq6CeSfamVSWU_WnURbn5jHdZHqxzF0iXR6aNQ/s1600/IMG_1382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrDhAsh19Cgm794Yrl5X3pkh-4jtDP7VWf16QcMVjg5b5Pg2UnyFOhVLYVEi25qrRpK3VBgB9Ovybb8AsLyDmr2eT-XghOwmqMs_gkjq6CeSfamVSWU_WnURbn5jHdZHqxzF0iXR6aNQ/s640/IMG_1382.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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then we had soup and pizza and it was loads of crazy fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSTa-PClRzti3cahgpPrWdaQjWR8BnqFrIUfB5uC9Z3mWIO6YD3vlRofIa4Qzgn5kEhoIChXfk7qRPunkdEYxWJcLvod-Cc1fBaXf5qB1f8hwXZFSntJIv9b9s5E4-MSUrpNf86zF3lc/s1600/IMG_0234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSTa-PClRzti3cahgpPrWdaQjWR8BnqFrIUfB5uC9Z3mWIO6YD3vlRofIa4Qzgn5kEhoIChXfk7qRPunkdEYxWJcLvod-Cc1fBaXf5qB1f8hwXZFSntJIv9b9s5E4-MSUrpNf86zF3lc/s640/IMG_0234.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
will bemoaned on our way home, "it really is sad that halloween only comes once a year. getting candy is so much fun."meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-16745579410470284862012-10-23T14:09:00.002-07:002012-10-23T16:18:15.616-07:00what it takes to get a decent picture of 6 people...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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after church last sunday we got out the tripod to take a few family pictures while everyone still looked kinda put together. handy andy put it on the timer and all 63 shots turned out perfectly- just like this one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyJOA7Ic2NOzAaS11r5QuDULoIsKwPGO60F0SyR8N3worCuACPNq4Kx2FxSOsat3R9m3hr3xYMNcLz2fYkR6xfuG0zuUy5JNZe48cYqotdUwW3NbgFjF6_1N-ylnJlsF_BUxeIynUn3M/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyJOA7Ic2NOzAaS11r5QuDULoIsKwPGO60F0SyR8N3worCuACPNq4Kx2FxSOsat3R9m3hr3xYMNcLz2fYkR6xfuG0zuUy5JNZe48cYqotdUwW3NbgFjF6_1N-ylnJlsF_BUxeIynUn3M/s640/IMG_0029.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
hahaha...here's a taste of what the other 62 pictures actually looked like:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_hamXEeY27B5LKRCuxQ8uOrrXsRjNHnqnobhB-uofOp44XmaRnVKSfZ7TC_9L2JiZRr8m0lWnDqGfEbnkKdEDFiNuJiF2MgTE78vasfduNhofZRPk-H470gxXBrK8XZsl8-tZiixv4c/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_hamXEeY27B5LKRCuxQ8uOrrXsRjNHnqnobhB-uofOp44XmaRnVKSfZ7TC_9L2JiZRr8m0lWnDqGfEbnkKdEDFiNuJiF2MgTE78vasfduNhofZRPk-H470gxXBrK8XZsl8-tZiixv4c/s640/IMG_0011.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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turn your heads around! look at the camera!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfcpMZP2ip_MRMEdEAR45DnAEBZDvrXjsiHwXss8wmbjzA3yAnc-bz2HWVNGN0Tglm8kyvCLJp1fa_36Zsh0ttShMr3kfTzQ4bm80HMa32YVvW4Y0twmy3NA2xCiTm0CCe0z_McdQ9j4/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfcpMZP2ip_MRMEdEAR45DnAEBZDvrXjsiHwXss8wmbjzA3yAnc-bz2HWVNGN0Tglm8kyvCLJp1fa_36Zsh0ttShMr3kfTzQ4bm80HMa32YVvW4Y0twmy3NA2xCiTm0CCe0z_McdQ9j4/s640/IMG_0041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
hurry and sit down!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgmsBVOAY4ZkMG_BB3xi490WyfUR49X9iuezygw9BlcFdBKrxn_4a-agtZ86g_Q6Rj016XjQkgaQ3jpaDgt_8ChzDEfRXoIBkPwJBeNOUbkq97HjjsS75Lzsz3gRTGxlMefoLTyna1Y/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgmsBVOAY4ZkMG_BB3xi490WyfUR49X9iuezygw9BlcFdBKrxn_4a-agtZ86g_Q6Rj016XjQkgaQ3jpaDgt_8ChzDEfRXoIBkPwJBeNOUbkq97HjjsS75Lzsz3gRTGxlMefoLTyna1Y/s640/IMG_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
why do we have pumpkins in the picture with us?...too distracting..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrPTfswXrQLOAw3S6G2fkJdYMyVU6VmDo3O8myVSITi9CeLWvp2fN4RWeHV5VSOsdOpkik-67zRNUAGsj1ki13QhDlcbJe1T8Iynf_f7wB8TFyPrHwFcGB83IHMhgUJ8fijb5HFWAsSI/s1600/IMG_9989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrPTfswXrQLOAw3S6G2fkJdYMyVU6VmDo3O8myVSITi9CeLWvp2fN4RWeHV5VSOsdOpkik-67zRNUAGsj1ki13QhDlcbJe1T8Iynf_f7wB8TFyPrHwFcGB83IHMhgUJ8fijb5HFWAsSI/s640/IMG_9989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
then the real drama began...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUT7967EcQ1Uv2AvkkFRdAdjhz7zpQGOrcI-KrzBoJmvBCoX12Wt9Iao-eljkzA1jLsy8GsCkGV6jBflX9xtDnMtHy88PkLIriLTqOobsBcKz0v-JU1nBCE9c8eIByVA-qP5P5n5iHS8M/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUT7967EcQ1Uv2AvkkFRdAdjhz7zpQGOrcI-KrzBoJmvBCoX12Wt9Iao-eljkzA1jLsy8GsCkGV6jBflX9xtDnMtHy88PkLIriLTqOobsBcKz0v-JU1nBCE9c8eIByVA-qP5P5n5iHS8M/s640/IMG_9941.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
simultaneously water started dripping towards sophie and ben and then handy andy stabbed will in the face with the pumpkin stem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGON_df7kIlqnxmm3Wb2r0_qOGone0_V_9-gHmOdoeL7V4ltSYiOn5pVYGQ5tqHXpKT4-hWfHM5ccv9TRWUNdlMjD1cY7_mPfZylRMfqXK8w_c28rd_lIbyi4yaza7wYakv7X8A4Z5to/s1600/IMG_9942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGON_df7kIlqnxmm3Wb2r0_qOGone0_V_9-gHmOdoeL7V4ltSYiOn5pVYGQ5tqHXpKT4-hWfHM5ccv9TRWUNdlMjD1cY7_mPfZylRMfqXK8w_c28rd_lIbyi4yaza7wYakv7X8A4Z5to/s640/IMG_9942.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
freaking out over here...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcWBlmvn1vgM2nxlcNb64qNlI1F5lzPG8nVAFauNsA6wMjK8yqta6Y3XyBZVKmCmU27ape4l0Q4yM4m2ODsHvzSmeWcKxJlY66DOM5zLv8YYdZfKoOnQQabLFD8lAdL9ImnknVCcegT0/s1600/IMG_9958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcWBlmvn1vgM2nxlcNb64qNlI1F5lzPG8nVAFauNsA6wMjK8yqta6Y3XyBZVKmCmU27ape4l0Q4yM4m2ODsHvzSmeWcKxJlY66DOM5zLv8YYdZfKoOnQQabLFD8lAdL9ImnknVCcegT0/s640/IMG_9958.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKANiqs15RdJ937inuwhO9DE_22lIFNtw_vAm1X-obM6LXlhSNkLFujCMxg5sQL1YwvRhPfyxP240GNQRxfDvimrWQlkyEDj6OwqgscAEQ9DLERhEr_eGUnFFobE7GcDfhF1Y3dRRfhsQ/s1600/IMG_9980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKANiqs15RdJ937inuwhO9DE_22lIFNtw_vAm1X-obM6LXlhSNkLFujCMxg5sQL1YwvRhPfyxP240GNQRxfDvimrWQlkyEDj6OwqgscAEQ9DLERhEr_eGUnFFobE7GcDfhF1Y3dRRfhsQ/s640/IMG_9980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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can we be done now?!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgmsBVOAY4ZkMG_BB3xi490WyfUR49X9iuezygw9BlcFdBKrxn_4a-agtZ86g_Q6Rj016XjQkgaQ3jpaDgt_8ChzDEfRXoIBkPwJBeNOUbkq97HjjsS75Lzsz3gRTGxlMefoLTyna1Y/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgmsBVOAY4ZkMG_BB3xi490WyfUR49X9iuezygw9BlcFdBKrxn_4a-agtZ86g_Q6Rj016XjQkgaQ3jpaDgt_8ChzDEfRXoIBkPwJBeNOUbkq97HjjsS75Lzsz3gRTGxlMefoLTyna1Y/s640/IMG_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
and this is why a picture of all 6 of us is incredibly rare. :)<br />
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-88246952159345783292012-10-18T20:30:00.001-07:002012-10-18T23:10:24.684-07:00have some pumpkin chocolate cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
crisp, chilly fall is here. i've resumed my cold weather uniform of fleece pants, smart wools, and 2-3 layers on top. i've also sought every excuse possible to turn on the oven and get yummy smells and warmth into the house.</div>
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which is why i made an entire pumpkin chocolate sheet cake for just our family. fortunately some friends came over at the last minute and shared it with us. :) </div>
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and i'm here to share the recipe with you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPUkkjcvhJiSeEZH-hG7UOimF_Aa1hP_Th5yDFRZ-zFfyz8Jhok2C88yN0agt60ySMCitVE9k1ECRZLB49c-591nkLRxj7fSSgiguIVzfBK9u8tihfd_Tcho0pionuwRwBd6_q-UYyKM/s1600/IMG_9842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPUkkjcvhJiSeEZH-hG7UOimF_Aa1hP_Th5yDFRZ-zFfyz8Jhok2C88yN0agt60ySMCitVE9k1ECRZLB49c-591nkLRxj7fSSgiguIVzfBK9u8tihfd_Tcho0pionuwRwBd6_q-UYyKM/s640/IMG_9842.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><u> <span style="background-color: #ffe599;">pumpkin chocolate sheet cake</span></u></b><br />
4 eggs<br />
1 cup light olive oil or vegetable<br />
1 2/3 cup sugar<br />
1 can of pumpkin (about 2 cups)<br />
2 cups flour<br />
2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1 tsp. baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
1 tsp. ginger<br />
1 tsp. cloves<br />
1 tsp. nutmeg<br />
chocolate chips<br />
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in a large bowl, beat eggs, oil and sugar until well blended. add pumpkin and mix thoroughly. in separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. mix until smooth. add chocolate chips and mix. pour into greased and floured 11x17inch jelly roll pan. bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. spread chocolate fudge frosting over cake.<br />
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<u><b style="background-color: #ffe599;">chocolate fudge frosting</b></u><br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
4 T. unsweetened cocoa<br />
6 T. buttermilk<br />
1 tsp. vanilla extract<br />
1 lb. powdered sugar<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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heat butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boiling in saucepan. remove from heat and mix in vanilla and sugar and pinch of salt. frosting is runny but hardens as it cools.<br />
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in other news, this quirky song has been in my head for several days now. if you haven't watched the video before, it gets really fun at 2:50. makes me wish i was a ballerina. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/08WeoqWilRQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-66332535027821792772012-10-14T14:53:00.005-07:002012-10-17T13:34:44.382-07:00dump truck hoodie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">one of ben's best little buddies turned 2 a couple days after his own birthday and we had great fun going to his truck/car birthday party.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKQP6kZQb4vXt1RFwHxTXbXgBh1bFttIvYUyb6b_SpHj3_Qvl7n4VBbmRjE5KCrN6-y5waOmoxwbCUY84mh9a_uljj7Qhx-Sa6yoBby50iiBJoCIrYBlQgVzul7f31Uup6-vi_PY3xbM/s1600/dump+truck+hoodie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKQP6kZQb4vXt1RFwHxTXbXgBh1bFttIvYUyb6b_SpHj3_Qvl7n4VBbmRjE5KCrN6-y5waOmoxwbCUY84mh9a_uljj7Qhx-Sa6yoBby50iiBJoCIrYBlQgVzul7f31Uup6-vi_PY3xbM/s640/dump+truck+hoodie.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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a few months ago i made<a href="http://megandandymade.blogspot.com/2012/07/race-car-hoodie-gift.html"> this race car hoodie</a> for another little friend, but once i found the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-Alice-Schertle/dp/0152056610">Little Blue Truck book</a> i knew we had to go the dirt road route instead of the race track. (and besides, i was completely out of navy and black felt for the road :))</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwvt_4y_JqXnwPgzgiVTll_Cteoo7WNyqDnJNhyphenhyphena-03n71BmeiGrJmoVNhb3bjBDvleM61XCgXFh3ZRmAv5v300wU4dO7EA1gibGp-oul3TM7MCp3IqHRVw6hjZ9Z5wvVcsIu1f92cpM/s1600/IMG_9729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwvt_4y_JqXnwPgzgiVTll_Cteoo7WNyqDnJNhyphenhyphena-03n71BmeiGrJmoVNhb3bjBDvleM61XCgXFh3ZRmAv5v300wU4dO7EA1gibGp-oul3TM7MCp3IqHRVw6hjZ9Z5wvVcsIu1f92cpM/s640/IMG_9729.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> these are easy to make- find a picture online, trace and cut it out in some wool/poly blend felt and then sew onto a hoodie from target. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxlh4Jz3Pm5vbiyMXBHz-Ov_O7EHa9RGSIquQJJKkzeJdBC1WGEJLx-Gtzap5T6h-N_2MonHT2Ac6kjLLsjofcaL6ppAmQ1GP6x-q9YzY98DRQYmqyB0c8Z_52JNjSqRg5Y2cEa4e9e4/s1600/IMG_9724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxlh4Jz3Pm5vbiyMXBHz-Ov_O7EHa9RGSIquQJJKkzeJdBC1WGEJLx-Gtzap5T6h-N_2MonHT2Ac6kjLLsjofcaL6ppAmQ1GP6x-q9YzY98DRQYmqyB0c8Z_52JNjSqRg5Y2cEa4e9e4/s640/IMG_9724.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
*for the dump truck i did put a bit of liquid stitch stuff down in the middle of little pieces like the window and the rear bumper. then after it was dry i top stitched it onto the jacket.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pAYkJfNKwg2XOz_lD3KDpsERVolujefmdeMaiS34Y-m7uPR6w28IqQhnm7ywAdYHbqzo0ft2cL9VLhEgMTjRjjgFt05Y43bt5tx4im2H-T_bjTR_zdFocDULqT47X7sw2fRzz1O3xlU/s1600/IMG_9732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pAYkJfNKwg2XOz_lD3KDpsERVolujefmdeMaiS34Y-m7uPR6w28IqQhnm7ywAdYHbqzo0ft2cL9VLhEgMTjRjjgFt05Y43bt5tx4im2H-T_bjTR_zdFocDULqT47X7sw2fRzz1O3xlU/s640/IMG_9732.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
this book is super cute with a sweet message at the end. i would have bought a copy for our family too, but i had ben with me and he beelined to a giant board book of Good Night Moon instead. :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYrg7fjWyWejjnVN2EovRWf06fPcknj1mWlTNOrA92Zu9R7baQAf0r4i1rllFy52wlJWjZBUSSAPglYPbmYtfIucCjN8uJJ6a8_XxjFz7Y22IWnbzbP4lx8MneWMgfcf57TKWsBVQt7k/s1600/IMG_9736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYrg7fjWyWejjnVN2EovRWf06fPcknj1mWlTNOrA92Zu9R7baQAf0r4i1rllFy52wlJWjZBUSSAPglYPbmYtfIucCjN8uJJ6a8_XxjFz7Y22IWnbzbP4lx8MneWMgfcf57TKWsBVQt7k/s640/IMG_9736.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
this "2" patch covers the stupid graphic that was already on the jacket.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u4qKb9dSOMLtTmikDT4AynWgQc1G3taAdNrg6f1lJwUy3vqZZINwA6uL-YzENigqUPP_8QNLsGREaQ3tk_4QKBTVJCLv26o9wmbeSuUgwqJWmtZUK0wRtLf5eR42LdDkzIajfL8vUzI/s1600/IMG_9728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u4qKb9dSOMLtTmikDT4AynWgQc1G3taAdNrg6f1lJwUy3vqZZINwA6uL-YzENigqUPP_8QNLsGREaQ3tk_4QKBTVJCLv26o9wmbeSuUgwqJWmtZUK0wRtLf5eR42LdDkzIajfL8vUzI/s640/IMG_9728.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
added a little scrap of felt to make a personalized tag.<br />
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all done and ready for the party.</div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-91660304307558343192012-10-07T21:31:00.000-07:002012-10-07T22:22:30.217-07:00baby ben's balloon birthday bash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
we had a simple birthday party for ben last week.</div>
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the theme was, of course, balloons. it was nice and simple and he was delighted.</div>
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simple sack lunch with my most favorite napkins from Target.</div>
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happy times with his little cousin</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">exciiiiited for cake</span></div>
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piñata time...will though it was HILARIOUS to hit the pinata with a zucchini<br />
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sweet times with family (we SO missed not having all the aunties and uncles and cousins who moved this summer. although we did get to facetime with auntie bethany, which was a bit of a consolation)<br />
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we love you so much benny. happy birthday sweet boy!<br />
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">here's to another year full of kisses from mama</span></div>
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<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-5498707861003648502012-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:002012-09-28T09:06:25.226-07:00baby ben is 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
so baby ben turned 2 this weekend. i really can't bear to think he's a big boy yet, so he'll keep his title until further notice. at least in my book.</div>
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a few things about our benny boy:<br />
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- he is still a little guy of very few words. his repertoire includes: MOM/ mommy, dada, wow, owie, bayoon(balloon), hi, bye-bye, yeehaw, pease (please), no, do (dog), and peepee and poopoo {ya know, only the important stuff}<br />
along with a myriad of sounds: lots of "uh!", beeps, various animal noises, and tons of giggles<br />
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- the above does not in any way hinder him from communicating exactly what he wants around here.<br />
he's deservedly been dubbed bossy ben- using lots of grunts, pulls, and pushes to get people moving. plus all he really has to do is look at anyone with one of his cute, dimpled little facial expressions and he's good to go.<br />
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- his favorite book is "goodnight moon". we have to keep it on a special shelf in his room, read it before nap and bedtime every day and then afterwards say good night and pat about 10 different objects in his room. this tradition must not be broken. the repercussions are intense.<br />
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- balloons are his dearest objects of affection, second only to his beloved blankie.<br />
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- balloons also bring out the very worst in him...i'm thinking idol maybe? ;)<br />
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- he loves to watch and mirror his brother and sisters like crazy<br />
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- his favorite foods are bananas and chocolate, in any form<br />
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- he loves to climb...tables, counters, dressers, cribs...which means he has also had his fair share of falls already.<br />
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- a few of his nicknames include: benny boy, benster, benny boo and chubby bubby (used almost exclusively as a nighttime salutation by madeline and sophie)<br />
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- he loves, loves, loves to color on himself with a marker. mostly just on his hands, but sometimes it reaches his mouth.<br />
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-he loves to be tickled, especially by daddy who can almost always get a real good belly laugh out of him<br />
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- he also loves to carry around water balloons filled w/ just a little water and he HAS to have a smiley face drawn on them. (handyandy would very much like this routine to phase out...something about the hazards of carrying around a balloon filled with water inside the house??...)<br />
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- he loves following his brother and sisters everywhere...especially into the lego room, into their forts, on their bikes, and in their rooms. and always while sporting an impish grin that gives away the fact that he is fully aware that he is driving them a tad CRAZY.<br />
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-he loves to swipe dollies, nail polish,lego guys, other people's snacks, silly bands and everyone else's' markers and hide them in his back pack.<br />
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- he doesn't sleep the best. we still have a crib tent over his crib to keep him in bed and are most definitely delaying the inevitable training that needs to occur once we take the tent off...<br />
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- he just started being interested in watching cartoons with the other kids. yay for a 20 min. of containment!<br />
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- he loves that his daddy flies airplanes. every time this is mentioned he giggles and points with an "eh!" to the sky.<br />
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- he still loves mommy...(maybe the best)<br />
he'll still snuggle with me after he wakes up and will give me air kisses if i ask {especially if he's trying to get something} and he doesn't mind {too much} when i snatch him up multiple times a day to squish and cover him with kisses.<br />
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happy birthday {big} baby ben!meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-65970306562324131872012-09-18T11:07:00.000-07:002012-09-28T09:06:40.602-07:00overwhelmed maybe...a little vent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
sometimes everyday life can feel a bit overwhelming...every so often the reality of the responsibility of it all hits me, takes my breath away for a second and i get a little panicky. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"> i mean yikes! four kids! four individual souls that have needs, issues and personalities...and i'm responsible.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqlH2NubtypIHUNYODvERK5UdlRysy49hEDoah-qT4xfctbF8NuvL3UWYw2hLX9xVvleGB846kAfzzCLvyLBpHofD_vvGltqjyEON23oZ9WYQdOIZhRUHJzTFkEkIVTKggMcEfJ-EnQM/s1600/IMG_0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqlH2NubtypIHUNYODvERK5UdlRysy49hEDoah-qT4xfctbF8NuvL3UWYw2hLX9xVvleGB846kAfzzCLvyLBpHofD_vvGltqjyEON23oZ9WYQdOIZhRUHJzTFkEkIVTKggMcEfJ-EnQM/s640/IMG_0852.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"> holy moly! how did we get here??</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbISjPmimxmaM4-_uBT4E760F27Dj_ae3b7mhoz1xr3Fh3sUhIWuVqm5AGw6MofqK51kFQMSm9UnWyxV4cJTR63W20V-R7rkN188E4kfMtOlUAgG4AbkPFOzjZKNK5U3TSXxdPqaayhc/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbISjPmimxmaM4-_uBT4E760F27Dj_ae3b7mhoz1xr3Fh3sUhIWuVqm5AGw6MofqK51kFQMSm9UnWyxV4cJTR63W20V-R7rkN188E4kfMtOlUAgG4AbkPFOzjZKNK5U3TSXxdPqaayhc/s640/IMG_0344.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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plus there's a house to keep clean,</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINQaQ4WdVgSfmrMKaGAO5WwYKc62xRjkCjS4jelRU_irNIKuoat-tljK1Y9bzUYzi81Bjkuwu-USwVKS_LHRNRHH2OhSPy0Cqv155CVLQL9nSHGwQbW6nKqOrO52zo7CBsbmxMUusA0U/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINQaQ4WdVgSfmrMKaGAO5WwYKc62xRjkCjS4jelRU_irNIKuoat-tljK1Y9bzUYzi81Bjkuwu-USwVKS_LHRNRHH2OhSPy0Cqv155CVLQL9nSHGwQbW6nKqOrO52zo7CBsbmxMUusA0U/s640/IMG_0689.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygg_uajL8VLzGzUzAVrt2cpzJlwGEijA1u0mg9NkKsPSE_3AaWkBnyD4D4L1vaMB_tY0I_ZgOq4gG2Z_kFtjEunMroaAIoA-d2Ixov5grYiJmCxtzvAG7qUkPFgfTEOnMiBfDbyddj7U/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygg_uajL8VLzGzUzAVrt2cpzJlwGEijA1u0mg9NkKsPSE_3AaWkBnyD4D4L1vaMB_tY0I_ZgOq4gG2Z_kFtjEunMroaAIoA-d2Ixov5grYiJmCxtzvAG7qUkPFgfTEOnMiBfDbyddj7U/s640/IMG_0243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">a marriage to invest in,</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFNOwv15btzZJHzexXMOT2p0XevECM-wkJiIGw215q0chGvRI0pOZ_GbztFn7YsQ1PeIu-W8uWIOixl7QsFv5iWZGxhvchRxvziVUZ2fkB26LrjCN_xBF66Zd0N5RyF4-TUtAX_CRDsY/s1600/IMG_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFNOwv15btzZJHzexXMOT2p0XevECM-wkJiIGw215q0chGvRI0pOZ_GbztFn7YsQ1PeIu-W8uWIOixl7QsFv5iWZGxhvchRxvziVUZ2fkB26LrjCN_xBF66Zd0N5RyF4-TUtAX_CRDsY/s640/IMG_0249.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">meals to cook</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37vNE34E0ruFv5z3gJlbtv7sQiSwMJQhbVBvTw4Y54PGrMlWJUthkBtk2E4mOFOqPYzF96qKbdln1tUjtjyztv8mVSBjkmKDcZkcgthDEB80ILjEclIzx7IrL11B8j6zXBm-FHPoVP9Q/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37vNE34E0ruFv5z3gJlbtv7sQiSwMJQhbVBvTw4Y54PGrMlWJUthkBtk2E4mOFOqPYzF96qKbdln1tUjtjyztv8mVSBjkmKDcZkcgthDEB80ILjEclIzx7IrL11B8j6zXBm-FHPoVP9Q/s640/IMG_0809.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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school to teach, </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv9kIm7Ka7UpUcoEvQdh9aEld-M7s-d0Vf7lOYMzBD3zvfsS-yUGYUqLDNfSE8gkYFymVDJD-ZnESsL7uQKw7uUPywB4dKqSvqq2jakV_eIxUhpIvjfbvlDOgfj0wYFbrF_vRJrfqHOI/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv9kIm7Ka7UpUcoEvQdh9aEld-M7s-d0Vf7lOYMzBD3zvfsS-yUGYUqLDNfSE8gkYFymVDJD-ZnESsL7uQKw7uUPywB4dKqSvqq2jakV_eIxUhpIvjfbvlDOgfj0wYFbrF_vRJrfqHOI/s640/IMG_0787.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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laundry to tame,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPHD0zAWmgX2FKkjVTTe7-TfsNFcLmbYhTWjLgShnyfqlHVpKbFNy3wHzY9rQmgX6wi1X67yhTxY5LLp3Z-G5-Uh3M-CCCdwuHDp0uNveiQOTd2ZlB8kFnxleCM8bhKHYhFzzdBWdumE/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPHD0zAWmgX2FKkjVTTe7-TfsNFcLmbYhTWjLgShnyfqlHVpKbFNy3wHzY9rQmgX6wi1X67yhTxY5LLp3Z-G5-Uh3M-CCCdwuHDp0uNveiQOTd2ZlB8kFnxleCM8bhKHYhFzzdBWdumE/s640/IMG_0790.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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friendships and family to nurture</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNNBdku0GGVd1BUrevCSH5y9hB1-xvexFFEXlTGzhgRJ2-GKEgFQkscb1W3MIZVmForVF7oHrPvw2OrQULNto1dfIJFHZdVKuo2NXFXahy5sl7XWQFIkChBuhE3deD9rPiXSrH0v4Z7A/s1600/IMG_0581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNNBdku0GGVd1BUrevCSH5y9hB1-xvexFFEXlTGzhgRJ2-GKEgFQkscb1W3MIZVmForVF7oHrPvw2OrQULNto1dfIJFHZdVKuo2NXFXahy5sl7XWQFIkChBuhE3deD9rPiXSrH0v4Z7A/s640/IMG_0581.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oaN89wzcrApJYD3LyA1EvBxTFU2G4ub9_n5JJWWA7uD1NFFClXN8qEEz7Q6piq1HtYNk4nGFfbvnIlcSRpyeFRGOXvMi12_pqrR4ClPJleeGUTuBaistvYfwfferooUJH50GQ7tqMh4/s1600/IMG_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oaN89wzcrApJYD3LyA1EvBxTFU2G4ub9_n5JJWWA7uD1NFFClXN8qEEz7Q6piq1HtYNk4nGFfbvnIlcSRpyeFRGOXvMi12_pqrR4ClPJleeGUTuBaistvYfwfferooUJH50GQ7tqMh4/s640/IMG_0713.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">not to mention my own heart to keep in check...ahhhh!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnnJbfyNWzMFvjhIaxxcCOJ0cjMZ9infdYXVss8IT4D9KncplYF2E-yfOFbJiI3CZxcaTq2tt1Dc_BHZW6E3mN2DYC9UorcEaK00ugb4X5UlEC02foT7RbnTH35eIrSlZPRGsuTq3yNI/s1600/IMG_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnnJbfyNWzMFvjhIaxxcCOJ0cjMZ9infdYXVss8IT4D9KncplYF2E-yfOFbJiI3CZxcaTq2tt1Dc_BHZW6E3mN2DYC9UorcEaK00ugb4X5UlEC02foT7RbnTH35eIrSlZPRGsuTq3yNI/s640/IMG_0732.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
goodness gracious. i know its not really a lot, it just feels that way now and then...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM65PwNRCbZG32RYIOl5S1EObmOVWxILICBX1EcesPOcWfdqzN5bw0zyCP660_01Vl8yjHmCuXOmhRRYL8vpStLSPmjFez3H7561Pd1usKiJPRGZQISEKSs1EfjxtQTFuCunXEfGzEqM/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM65PwNRCbZG32RYIOl5S1EObmOVWxILICBX1EcesPOcWfdqzN5bw0zyCP660_01Vl8yjHmCuXOmhRRYL8vpStLSPmjFez3H7561Pd1usKiJPRGZQISEKSs1EfjxtQTFuCunXEfGzEqM/s640/IMG_0343.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
and i know life really is sweet. in sooo many ways. and i know its up to me to see jesus in the midst of the crazy, and to believe that he is there to offer grace and JOY in the moment. i just have to do it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m98EpQ_OkpShG4G9BnUAY4NfxVvP9Wyl_wl3lGVzbcLbj4r9z6NlPIjUFbKkfHThg0z4gHGapV5A_N3-N3uQSb9iJgB3iQuu83nmvvnPldUiTW8evg1mkd72BSs-mG_IQz9SZoeywgk/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m98EpQ_OkpShG4G9BnUAY4NfxVvP9Wyl_wl3lGVzbcLbj4r9z6NlPIjUFbKkfHThg0z4gHGapV5A_N3-N3uQSb9iJgB3iQuu83nmvvnPldUiTW8evg1mkd72BSs-mG_IQz9SZoeywgk/s640/IMG_0736.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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so, thank you instagram for making it so easy to capture the sweet moments sprinkled throughout the overwhelming and chaotic that would be lost otherwise. </div>
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and thank you jesus for giving me this life and these little munchkins to raise. i am grateful.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1iBZxgQWEq7gkbzL4GMWZTV0XstTdK3bm13YiM7oOAIEheg4_ULsw8JWbhpNKyrvPZFtk9F2uWE1PWBxyaXgOWL-k1oSURlZNlqVssqWCBUQb9LK1v30r7X7p0c22QrbOwEQmhQl2aw/s1600/IMG_0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1iBZxgQWEq7gkbzL4GMWZTV0XstTdK3bm13YiM7oOAIEheg4_ULsw8JWbhpNKyrvPZFtk9F2uWE1PWBxyaXgOWL-k1oSURlZNlqVssqWCBUQb9LK1v30r7X7p0c22QrbOwEQmhQl2aw/s640/IMG_0183.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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vent over. thank you for listening.</div>
<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-46288772182892431942012-09-03T14:56:00.000-07:002012-09-03T14:56:33.203-07:0012 Months of Date Nights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">first of all, andrew's beautiful little sister got married last week. the wedding was dreamy and lots of fun. today they drive to their new home in oklahoma...tears...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">but anyway, before they left we were able give lots of hugs, say goodbye and send them off with some gifts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDoaj72rh6fDYWPjCrfmGkIEeMPAnoP1AtxGWF_EabChyOaaDK4r4hnVQ5G3AMvTg4ho4UsPYqpQQvYFDi90_8Xt85S4qn0flTYQASrd2NUMhggkXviT40ZqMVS2IBOR6sUl0mtqcitw/s1600/brettbeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDoaj72rh6fDYWPjCrfmGkIEeMPAnoP1AtxGWF_EabChyOaaDK4r4hnVQ5G3AMvTg4ho4UsPYqpQQvYFDi90_8Xt85S4qn0flTYQASrd2NUMhggkXviT40ZqMVS2IBOR6sUl0mtqcitw/s640/brettbeth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">when handyandy and i were married some friends gave us a big box with 12 little gifts. it was so thoughtful and so much fun to have something to open on each month anniversary our first year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">so, we decided to do something similar and do a date night themed box. it took a good bit of brainstorming to think of 12 but here they all are in case you'd like to do something like it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">** Bethany, if you happen to be reading...STOP ;)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2hvfxcdvTHKL6eXSm15ltlxxBRjNErXT5DwQdt-BW6-V6SdEuoriJLB-4egchkaC5AKvmgZDpmRBVRzcZ1JKEcEMR-kUpczTuycWgnee8TIwYpRsS1PAuRDK8PUjQ-A7DUsslQJ7Fp4/s1600/date12months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2hvfxcdvTHKL6eXSm15ltlxxBRjNErXT5DwQdt-BW6-V6SdEuoriJLB-4egchkaC5AKvmgZDpmRBVRzcZ1JKEcEMR-kUpczTuycWgnee8TIwYpRsS1PAuRDK8PUjQ-A7DUsslQJ7Fp4/s640/date12months.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">{after i took pictures, i wrapped each gift up in tissue paper, wrote a little hint/description on the tags and then packed them in a big plastic storage bin} if you click on the picture it should enlarge it a bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRryJUa9aRFWYBNZWj4lRz95aSQDlpJbAtQMlfjFSmL9DvhPAz9ITke2Swz1_e6PiK79aJhQJ-LtFf5VTrrJaruDSSoC7T1IDAFcAC670t_C7JE7oUv4g69JWmNvwC5Z5d0PATyGgN2Uw/s1600/date+nite1-4edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRryJUa9aRFWYBNZWj4lRz95aSQDlpJbAtQMlfjFSmL9DvhPAz9ITke2Swz1_e6PiK79aJhQJ-LtFf5VTrrJaruDSSoC7T1IDAFcAC670t_C7JE7oUv4g69JWmNvwC5Z5d0PATyGgN2Uw/s640/date+nite1-4edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1) something bubbly and <a href="http://holographic heart glasses like these">holographic heart glasses like these</a> 3) apple cider and pumpkin carving tools from Hobby Lobby</div>3) white ceramic mugs from Target, <a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/pebeo-porcelaine-150-paint-markers/">pen</a> and <a href="http://www.designmom.com/2010/11/diy-monogram-mugs/">instructions</a> printed out 2) marshmallows and cocoa packets<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl25X6go5RlSz2EhWVugExPVsVb4sW9Hp5SlrxToLnSa1tLfkARbDPS3JY09BtEFgrXCLcqCqsFO8qK-kUuNVtK3itpfcAnBFFuTOo8yclgsdUq9T9rzpvL60iVg51-sUD4r93_qWUz7I/s1600/date+night+5-8edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl25X6go5RlSz2EhWVugExPVsVb4sW9Hp5SlrxToLnSa1tLfkARbDPS3JY09BtEFgrXCLcqCqsFO8qK-kUuNVtK3itpfcAnBFFuTOo8yclgsdUq9T9rzpvL60iVg51-sUD4r93_qWUz7I/s640/date+night+5-8edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4) Jenga 5) pack of 2 moleskine journals and Starbucks gift card 6) Skittles box and conversation starters- see below 7) pink football from Target and Root Beer</div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;">Conversation Starters </div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">* What is one significant memory or association that includes snow?</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">*What does your ideal birthday look like? (from beginning to end)</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">* What is your earliest memory from childhood?</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">* What are 2 things that happened this week and how did you feel about them?</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px 'American Typewriter'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">* fill in blank: I like it best when you refer to me as_____________.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSKymcSoi4CJ_9Ebz5_jJceuR2BJ8XiC5zxvU4Sh_bB-HVLxXCCT37JMZMwDIzxDxYeAqvzWSCk7mquEc9W0Es0RR7Gvmg84ZtTBXDM_avDkqYGbPv5qKaRVfTIOuG204GO4LIEGl6Bg/s1600/date+night+9-12edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSKymcSoi4CJ_9Ebz5_jJceuR2BJ8XiC5zxvU4Sh_bB-HVLxXCCT37JMZMwDIzxDxYeAqvzWSCk7mquEc9W0Es0RR7Gvmg84ZtTBXDM_avDkqYGbPv5qKaRVfTIOuG204GO4LIEGl6Bg/s640/date+night+9-12edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">9) microwave popcorn and $1 bill 10) Coldstone gift card 11) trail mix and root beer 12) gift card to Noodles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tO1leKUvCh9WA0jTMCSGEit_rH7LJQLOmDRIsZR2lEzLj2lgDPlPIPKE3rLm_QefNsp1Z0JWbDrG6HoSY2v3ZsieY0Q900iogK80-JAlwmctRnCChoyN1eld0cK-iI9l4OV67EZrqZY/s1600/datenightblack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tO1leKUvCh9WA0jTMCSGEit_rH7LJQLOmDRIsZR2lEzLj2lgDPlPIPKE3rLm_QefNsp1Z0JWbDrG6HoSY2v3ZsieY0Q900iogK80-JAlwmctRnCChoyN1eld0cK-iI9l4OV67EZrqZY/s640/datenightblack.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">the thought of having the time/freedom to go on all these dates kinda blows my mind. handy andy and i totally didn't take advantage of all the fun we could have had before our sweet kiddos entered the picture....ohhh well, that's what retirement is for...hahaha. just kidding. i think. ;) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">if you have any ideas for fun/cheap dates, leave them in the comment section. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">now go have <i>yourselves</i> some FUN!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-78986980981825179872012-08-13T13:10:00.001-07:002012-08-13T13:12:08.123-07:00Birthday MUD PARTY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">will turned 7 this month. after the blast we had at our <a href="http://megandandymade.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-mud-party.html">little mud party earlier this summer</a>, he decided to carry the theme over for his birthday. see invites <a href="http://megandandymade.blogspot.com/2012/08/mud-party-invites.html">here</a> we had so. much. fun. it was seriously the best time ever. there's just something about seeing kids splashing, and rolling in mud that makes you feel all is well in the world. anyway, i've had several people ask me, what one exactly <i>does </i>at a mud party in the city so i thought i'd give you a little picture outline. :) enjoy the mess!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VTeQ9vN-RNT343ZLZNBvdmTlNLlV1xPa-Ld-ghUiIdTSQBgkUZStZWQwZ09QfXVgPwdyhHtsmoE2qiJrSkQqm6V8Y2lRbPo_c1DzdDCxZuVK6G2ma1JOZYoSC7s7rPkSUUfPgzJXK58/s1600/mudballsgetsplashed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VTeQ9vN-RNT343ZLZNBvdmTlNLlV1xPa-Ld-ghUiIdTSQBgkUZStZWQwZ09QfXVgPwdyhHtsmoE2qiJrSkQqm6V8Y2lRbPo_c1DzdDCxZuVK6G2ma1JOZYoSC7s7rPkSUUfPgzJXK58/s640/mudballsgetsplashed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our mud pit isn't extremely large. half of this area in our yard grows our squash and pumpkins, so handyandy just laid a huge beam in front of the veggies to create a boundary line. then he dug a couple pits on either side and filled them up with water, to get the mud a cookin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2yyY2qk2aDpwF09glbQmP_j4l_C_phtU5_5vMzsP9Nl2MoNRRUb8DL1aa8MNe5_U-HW4hzcqZbfqaq3cX3dFJQXAAwsEu8ixT0PJnBZDLtggfCIauDOFdY_2YHq0iyXkM5wdK_arMpA/s1600/mudpitgetmuddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2yyY2qk2aDpwF09glbQmP_j4l_C_phtU5_5vMzsP9Nl2MoNRRUb8DL1aa8MNe5_U-HW4hzcqZbfqaq3cX3dFJQXAAwsEu8ixT0PJnBZDLtggfCIauDOFdY_2YHq0iyXkM5wdK_arMpA/s640/mudpitgetmuddy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we told the boys to wear old clothes so they could get as dirty as they wished. they built reservoirs, canals, floods and then when it was almost time to hose off, the bucket dumping began. it was the best part for sure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPeQBzFxvm9JgGs77xeI2CVdbdLmwND6-36e0HCZmB19K1Zzpf63BDenIle-MP5JmrI5KrkPBUiMjGSRUfbL6VBELKVw4NfQe6wgGxLTe0o5TW8e-C4RAE5c1vPydtCehS_lorbjF3Rk/s1600/mudtakepics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPeQBzFxvm9JgGs77xeI2CVdbdLmwND6-36e0HCZmB19K1Zzpf63BDenIle-MP5JmrI5KrkPBUiMjGSRUfbL6VBELKVw4NfQe6wgGxLTe0o5TW8e-C4RAE5c1vPydtCehS_lorbjF3Rk/s640/mudtakepics.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1inyqspDu5haG5at4xdmsELmqPeYhlxF5kKdDV9bklwUirqBwyXB2s1tVjOopjFP9RX6zSFlwretg2l-TFn_jlZPAw3mLrumzGVeiwsRR4YMhyZ2_yr6fRaBrDGmKFSjx1Gobw7_2r4/s1600/mudeatdirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1inyqspDu5haG5at4xdmsELmqPeYhlxF5kKdDV9bklwUirqBwyXB2s1tVjOopjFP9RX6zSFlwretg2l-TFn_jlZPAw3mLrumzGVeiwsRR4YMhyZ2_yr6fRaBrDGmKFSjx1Gobw7_2r4/s640/mudeatdirt2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy 7th Birthday! we love you will!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRIZhb4CV56s_oHaBtZcR4zdIhxH-qDAVqM8am0UC35AyOvw0E1Rk6FqKj5h-nmYv7vLOo8vBtJmYJYD6C52reMzIZ7G_LZgBwhEFXQapTyBybBrNxvHu4kvtKcvzc82QXovcqElM6jw/s1600/mudbecrazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRIZhb4CV56s_oHaBtZcR4zdIhxH-qDAVqM8am0UC35AyOvw0E1Rk6FqKj5h-nmYv7vLOo8vBtJmYJYD6C52reMzIZ7G_LZgBwhEFXQapTyBybBrNxvHu4kvtKcvzc82QXovcqElM6jw/s640/mudbecrazy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">then we ate pizza, had dirt dessert and then let the boys have a clean water fight with water balloons and sprinklers until their parents came. super easy, lots of fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgMTgfydRrWGQofyh4h3amDYjPshvaMv-s5Zjd3uLxvFnpZdAVSXMClXgEf8rKz_ovq7cug5QgIGs83anTb_vNXYnBYStc_-BuBoEqRzNeGAyhpjNMc41o0Dx8unAG93FK_P1g67fquM/s1600/mudparentsonhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgMTgfydRrWGQofyh4h3amDYjPshvaMv-s5Zjd3uLxvFnpZdAVSXMClXgEf8rKz_ovq7cug5QgIGs83anTb_vNXYnBYStc_-BuBoEqRzNeGAyhpjNMc41o0Dx8unAG93FK_P1g67fquM/s640/mudparentsonhand.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>and a great big shout out goes to handy andy for embracing and loving such a crazy messy party even though the neat and tidy OCD part of his personality was freaking out a little bit. good work, babe! you made the day super fun!meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-33494737180936412902012-08-10T22:22:00.000-07:002012-08-09T22:24:03.392-07:00mud party invites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
today is the MUD PARTY! thought you might like to see the invite Will and i made last week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMu9xm3AcPaa1T2exLOHmg3dMqN6MaKwm8IM4T9SP9Qbe9DKJy-9BD4Xpwj2UJxyOlsdPgNWSxqmafbzz502X_akNmgdiYUAztApCiBVPl9IYE80Fl1nWo3MjrbH9dqajySg89mvLHYps/s1600/IMG_5451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMu9xm3AcPaa1T2exLOHmg3dMqN6MaKwm8IM4T9SP9Qbe9DKJy-9BD4Xpwj2UJxyOlsdPgNWSxqmafbzz502X_akNmgdiYUAztApCiBVPl9IYE80Fl1nWo3MjrbH9dqajySg89mvLHYps/s640/IMG_5451.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
will artistically smeared the invites with mud. awesome effect, i'd say.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAeDQgqET4WsOiaFP1u4Z3k_E-EfaufbdjA0Eh2lxyVeVxgb9nuh6bMoTuARsG8dNGB92p5BYGPtXxNsFOZQDc_0gIHHgBr9EDfg65eL-mhPs2KyYUcTDq52uLKoHCWPBuraXBd5T0G4/s1600/IMG_5439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAeDQgqET4WsOiaFP1u4Z3k_E-EfaufbdjA0Eh2lxyVeVxgb9nuh6bMoTuARsG8dNGB92p5BYGPtXxNsFOZQDc_0gIHHgBr9EDfg65eL-mhPs2KyYUcTDq52uLKoHCWPBuraXBd5T0G4/s640/IMG_5439.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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we're all pretty excited around here. even my {slightly OCD} handy andy is letting go of inhibitions and embracing the mess. i'll post pictures soon. :)<br />
have a happy friday!<br />
<br />
<br />meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-84762547785558151392012-08-05T17:25:00.000-07:002012-08-05T17:25:17.577-07:00birthday buddies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7 years ago i got the best birthday present ever- a little baby boy! And it was a gift that keeps giving- this year i asked for a 7 year old with blonde hair, who loves ninjas, climbs trees and plays with legos....and i got it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQaLGjq-niUHTNoSAccB6Q9jwjsUHXqCRZpqrl9gvua93ZT6gNLppF0i9u_D9u4LGdV5xW-0sf5gUC3a8O9HLNPShVVqyeq4YiaV28AUrNIAT_a3FtcQHIohsMjE-apjUQpEXrwZy6Uc/s1600/IMG_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQaLGjq-niUHTNoSAccB6Q9jwjsUHXqCRZpqrl9gvua93ZT6gNLppF0i9u_D9u4LGdV5xW-0sf5gUC3a8O9HLNPShVVqyeq4YiaV28AUrNIAT_a3FtcQHIohsMjE-apjUQpEXrwZy6Uc/s640/IMG_0442.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Love this little guy so much and we're both super excited for "our" mud party next weekend.meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5728043131664772619.post-30788603451311330082012-07-29T21:27:00.000-07:002012-07-29T21:27:22.140-07:00race car hoodie gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">one of our favorite little buddies turned 3 this week and we had the privilege of going to his adorable race car themed party- complete with sugar cookie race cars and tracks and absolutely fabulous chocolate cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhFrfuJ4N87bvsLZp1He6YH3HyrOT-j-LWhWmHQZi7fW38X-qsyraySiuiQ5Cibf8_02Q-4Dmd4I4sxABpYpPuPWJlWHHWytHAqt8ezf6BP7Dh3DQcL6o0b1vhaHAxpuAAN-OQMmgvps/s1600/IMG_0318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhFrfuJ4N87bvsLZp1He6YH3HyrOT-j-LWhWmHQZi7fW38X-qsyraySiuiQ5Cibf8_02Q-4Dmd4I4sxABpYpPuPWJlWHHWytHAqt8ezf6BP7Dh3DQcL6o0b1vhaHAxpuAAN-OQMmgvps/s640/IMG_0318.jpg" width="516" /></a></div> for his gift i embellished this little cotton hoodie from target. really easy, not super fancy but still fun.<br />
just felt and buttons. oh, and handy andy would be bummed if i didn't acknowledge that it was <i>his</i> idea to make the track continue through both pockets. {you're so crafty handy andy}<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbDZ482GI7FPYXA85pELF_mJUZJSOyaJkfyQOs1xQoKH-26P03pLAgGzWG0JZkzvpzBw5aQPQscn_2DnTaqmbYsx9zIBhTlrIOBQBk3nf2N6cYdbpZtPnLCK5u8ogcDYinFrb0wFKlpo/s1600/IMG_0320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbDZ482GI7FPYXA85pELF_mJUZJSOyaJkfyQOs1xQoKH-26P03pLAgGzWG0JZkzvpzBw5aQPQscn_2DnTaqmbYsx9zIBhTlrIOBQBk3nf2N6cYdbpZtPnLCK5u8ogcDYinFrb0wFKlpo/s640/IMG_0320.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>put in some hot wheel cars and we were good to go. ;)<br />
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speaking of embellishing hoodies, i just saw<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78698613/spring-vine-hoodie-charcoal-gray-small">these adorable ones </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">sold on etsy. her shop is super cute.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">happy monday everyone!</span></span>meg + andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351073066006992478noreply@blogger.com9